BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO

Bond. James Bond. Just hearing those words invoke images in our minds of a suave secret agent, who always manages to get the upper hand (or something!). Although most of us might recall one or two James Bond comic series or adaptations, did you know that the character has been the star of comic books all over the world? Trying to shed light on Bond's life in sequential art is Alan J. Porter. This November The Illustrated James Bond will hit stores from Hermes Press. Porter told THE PULSE along with a history of 007 in comics and various covers, the book also includes "a chapter of interviews with various Bond creators, and a look at some of the various Bond-spoofs." It's an all-inclusive treat for any fan of the character.

THE PULSE: The world of James Bond has always been one so many people fantasize about -- whether it's pretending to be James or thinking about what it would be like being one of the beautiful women in his life; the character and situations just have a universal appeal! What is it about this particular secret agent that you find the most intriguing?

ALAN J. PORTER: If you set aside the movie Bond, who tends towards the super-human in his feats, the thing that attracted me to Bond as a teenager was that he was just a guy doing a job. The literary Bond is someone who reads manuals and goes on training courses before he heads out on a mission. As a teenager it made the fantasy seem that little bit more obtainable, the idea that with the right training I could (almost) be that guy. As I got older and started to learn how to do some of the things Bond does, like fire guns, and drive fast cars, the connection got even closer. A few weeks ago I took my first flying lesson, and realized that piloting a plane just added to my inner Bond.

THE PULSE: Speaking of the literary Bond, out of the many books written about this 007, which ones make your top five must read list?

PORTER: The obvious place to start with Bond is Ian Fleming's first novel, CASINO ROYALE. For people only familiar with the movie Bond the book tends to come as something of a shock. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is an excellent espionage thriller, while ON HER MAJEST'S SECRET SERVICE is a perhaps the best book about Bond as an individual and what drives him. My last two choices are more personal. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN is the first Ian Fleming story I read, while my favorite continuation novel is THE FACTS OF DEATH by Raymond Benson, partly because a lot of the action takes place in Austin, TX where I live, and it's fun to be able to drive the same roads that Bond drove and eat in the same restaurants.

Benson also wrote one of the best books about Bond, THE JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION. Another great book about the literary Bond is Kingsley Amis' THE JAMES BOND DOSSIER, which was the first critical work to explore what makes the Bond books work. It was Amis who first made the observation that we want to be Bond.

THE PULSE: It's a valid observation -- at least judging by the men in my family! So how did you get the opportunity to take your love of James Bond and create this new work, JAMES BOND: The history of the illustrated 007 for Hermes Press?

PORTER: I meet the Hermes Press team at the 2007 ComicCon in San Diego when I stopped by their booth, and found out they were looking for new projects. I verbally pitched an idea that they were keen to do, and we agreed to follow up. Over the next few weeks of phone calls we realized that for a variety of reasons, the project I initially pitched wasn't going to work, and the publisher, Daniel Herman, asked me if I had any other ideas. It was towards the end of the phone call when I said, "What about James Bond?" It turned out that Dan was a big Bond fan and collected original Bond movie posters.

I had already done a couple of short pieces on the history of Bond in comics for Back Issue Magazine, and for Titan Books as part of their series of albums reprinting the Bond newspaper strips. A book covering the full history of Bond in comics around the world seemed the next logical progression, and luckily Daniel agreed.

THE PULSE: This seems a really ambitious project. Of course, living in the US and knowing about that comic scene, it seems a little easier to find out about 007 in comics here. But around the world? I can't imagine how you research something like that ....

PORTER: Growing up in the UK meant I was familiar with the James Bond newspaper strips, and had even seen a few of the European reprints. Then when I got into American comics I followed all the Bond appearances. After I moved across The Pond to the US, as you suggest, that aspect got even easier to keep up with. Once I actively started working on the book late last year, I was amazed how helpful the Bond fan community became. In particular a couple of guys from Sweden and Denmark who specialize in collecting Bond comics helped fill gaps in my knowledge. I also had people help out in the most unexpected ways. A friend of mine here in Texas contacted his family back in Turkey and they found some Turkish Bond comics for me, I also managed to track down a source of Bond comics in India and have a couple of issues that had been translated into Hindi. Perhaps the greatest thrill during the research phase was tracking down the artist who wrote and drew the Bond comics series published in Chile during the 1960s, he now lives and works in Los Angeles as a screenwriter.

THE PULSE: It does seem like in a room of outsiders mentioning a like of James Bond can get you responses from a variety of people, so I can see how others would rise to the occasion to help you. What are some of the things you learned about Bond in comics through this research that surprised you the most?

PORTER: From a numbers point of view was the fact that Bond comics have been published in twenty-three different countries. When I started the project I was thinking it would just be the US, UK and Europe. I was also amazed to find out that the most prolific writer of original James Bond stories is in fact American writer Jim Lawrence, who wrote thirty-three original Bond stories for the British newspaper comic strips.

One thing that really struck me, was how Bond's fifty year history in comics is generally ignored by the official Bond histories. Most of the books about Bond and Fleming either only give the newspaper strips and comics a passing mention, or never mention them at all. Of course I'm grateful that they do ignore it, because it means that I could write a book to fill that gap, and hopefully future Bond scholars will pay a bit more attention to this aspect of the Bond mythos.

THE PULSE: I know you're trying to be all-inclusive here, but how "sure" are you that you've got every Bond comic incarnation mentioned in this book?

PORTER: Good question. As you suggest the book is an attempt to be as inclusive as possible, but there are acknowledged gaps. For instance, from a few reports it also appears that some unlicensed Bond comics were published in China, but who published them, when and what they contained is unknown. I'm hoping that the book will actually prompt people to help fill in the gaps. I'd love to be able to do an updated edition in a few years time that includes newly discovered titles and artwork.

THE PULSE: So what is this book about? Are you just showing images of the covers or are you giving some details of the books as well? Do you have any interviews with folks who worked on the comic?

PORTER: Yes, yes, and yes. The book starts out with an overview of the history of Bond in comics around the world. This is followed by a detailed listing of 145 Bond different comics stories I tracked down. The story listing includes where it was first published, the creative team, a plot synopsis along with notes of interest about the story, and any known reprints. The book also includes a chapter of interviews with various Bond creators, and a look at some of the various Bond-spoofs. Hermes Press pride themselves on being a publisher of art books, and this one is no different. The text is accompanied by examples of cover art, sketches, samples of interior art and movie poster art.

THE PULSE: What kind of format is this book? I've seen some nice retrospective types that are coffee table size and other smaller ones that looked just as handsome ...

PORTER: It's a glossy trade paperback of about 200 pages with gloss pages and what the publisher calls a "deluxe" cover. I'm really pleased with the design and the final result. It's a lovely looking book.

THE PULSE: Did the publisher decide the layout or did you work on that as well? If you were responsible for the layout, what did you base that on?

PORTER: I'm not that clever! - Although I supplied most of the images, the design work was all done by the Hermes Press team.

THE PULSE: Got it! What do you think the James Bond comics offer that one doesn't get from the books or movies?

PORTER:For someone who enjoys Bond stories, there are over 100 different Bond adventures that have appeared only in comic book format. Tales that most Bond fans are completely unaware of. From an artistic point of view, comics can bring whole new dimensions to the Bond adventures making them as fantastic, or as atmospheric, as the creative team wants. It's been said that the great advantage of comics is that the special effects budget is unlimited, and that is definitely true of many of the Bond comics stories. There are things in the comics you would never see in a Bond movie. On a personal level I get a real buzz from seeing the way that different creative teams handle Bond in the comics. For some writers and artists he is a multi-faceted character and they really explore the human side of the world's greatest secret agent, while others treat him as little more than a plot device to move between exotic locations and spectacular explosions. Of course the fun thing about Bond is that all these different interpretations are equally valid. No matter which Bond is your personal Bond, you'll find him in comics.

THE PULSE: What do you think of this newest version of James Bond in the films?

PORTER: The Daniel Craig version of James Bond as seen in Casino Royale is perhaps the closest we've come to Ian Fleming's version of Bond; not so much in looks but in terms of attitude, motivation and psychology. In Casino Royale they had Judi Dench as M call Bond a 'blunt instrument.' That was a direct quote from Fleming on how he perceived his character. Fleming's Bond wasn't a slick super-hero, he was a civil-servant being paid to do a brutal, but necessary, job. I believe they really captured that in Casino Royale. Having said that I think each movie incarnation of Bond has made it's own contributions to the overall mythos, and have things to recommend them.

THE PULSE: How does it feel to work on one of your heroes in this manner? What's it like to get to add a new page to the legend of Bond?

PORTER: The first time I typed the words 'James Bond' and realized I was actually getting paid to do it was a great thrill. It's one of the reasons I love writing about pop-culture. I've been lucky enough to be paid to write about many different pop-culture icons including Batman and The Beatles. Adding Bond to it completed my personal trifecta.

I hadn't really thought about adding to the Bond legend until I started to see a couple of discussion threads pop-up on some of the James Bond fan-sites when the book was announced. Getting the opportunity to talk Bond to numerous creators I've longed admired was also an amazing experience.

THE PULSE: Speaking of experiences, what else are you working on now?

PORTER: On the comics front I have a online manga pilot with Tokyopop called GOD SHOP that can be found at godshopmanga.com. I'm also writing the new Disney-Pixar CARS comics series for BOOM! Studios, which I believe will debut some time around Free Comic Book Day next year. On the Bond front I just turned in an article on the old Marvel Comics James Bond Jr. series for Back Issue Magazine that will be published early next year. My next project for Hermes Press is a feature on time travel TV shows that will be included in a new book that reprints the old Time Tunnel comics. I also seemed to have developed a niche for writing and editing promotional comic books for various technology companies, and I have a couple of those projects on the go too. All this work has meant one sad creative departure, for the last nine years I've been a member and regular contributor to the Comicopia APA, but I've had to let that go, and have just turned in my last contribution.

PULSE readers can learn more about JAMES BOND: The history of the illustrated 007 here.


PULSE readers can also learn more about his manga pilot, God Shop here.